Top tips for reducing stress during your move

If you want to take the stress out of moving, don’t move home! (joke) If that isn’t an option, it is important to be aware that moving home is stressful but with proper planning, it is possible to take the stress out of moving.

Moving property may not be as stressful as divorce, having the family around for Christmas Day dinner or arranging a barbecue when the weather reports are patchy at best, but it is hugely important, and the success or failure of the moving process can impact on you significantly.

1. Know your budget

The financial aspect of moving home is important and the sooner you know how much money you must spend on the process, the better. If you have an unlimited budget, hire professionals to do everything for you and spend no time worrying about the move at all. However, the majority of us don’t have an unlimited budget, in fact, if you are moving home, you will likely have a very limited budget with respect to the moving process.

When you know how much you can afford to spend on moving, you can start to converse with professionals about their costs and what you can afford to hire.

2. Get quotes from removal companies

When you have your budget in place, you are in a better place to decide on which removals company you can hire. This is important because the right removals company will make the process much easier, lowering your stress levels significantly.

Some firms also provide a packing and unpacking service so determine what you need and then make sure that you get the service that is best for you and which provides you with the best return for your money.

3. Give yourself as much time as you can

It isn’t always possible to plan the move months in advance, sometimes property moves happen at shorter notice. However, you will do yourself a massive favour by allowing yourself as much time as you can. Once you know your moving date, you can create a schedule and a checklist of what you need to do at a certain time.

4. Create checklists

There are so many things to take care of when moving home, you will forget important aspects or tasks if you try to remember everything in your head. Even if you are not an organised person by nature, it is essential that you get organised for moving home.

Simple tasks like contacting banks and credit card companies to change your address doesn’t take long but it is vital that you do it. Similarly, if you must contact schools, doctor surgeries and any professional about your new address, do so in appropriate time to minimise problems in the changeover. Even aspects like having broadband connectivity ready for when you move into your new home is important and should help you settle into your new home more easily.

5. Have a box for important documents

Even when the moving process is running smoothly, things will likely be chaotic at home. This means if you have items that you need to have to hand, it makes sense to keep them separate and in a safe and secure place. Items like passports, house deeds, insurance papers and other property documents are important all year round but when you are in the process of moving home, you will often need these documents, so keep them where you can find them.

A smart tip is to create electronic copies of these device that you store on a computer/laptop or even on your phone. You want to speed up the process as much as you can and having access to documents is an effective way of ensuring you can communicate quickly and correctly.

6. Visit and research the new area

Visiting your new area will allow you to get a feel for where you are moving to and this can remove some of the stress and tension about the move. If you have youngsters, you want to make sure they find places they will love straight away, so knowing what is on offer is a sensible way to minimise a lot of stress when you move into a new property.

There is also the fact that it can be of benefit to break free from the stress when moving home, and visiting your new area allows you the chance to take a break from the moving process, if only for a short time.

7. On the topic of kids and pets

If you have young children and/or pets, you will need to give some consideration as to what you do with them on moving day. If they can be part of the process, great, get them involved as this will help them to be engaged with the move. If they are too young to assist or you feel they would get in the way, it makes sense to ask someone to watch them and keep them occupied. This may be a friend, a family member or even a babysitter but when you know your child or pet is properly looked after, you can focus on the moving process.

8. Have a survival kit for moving day

There will be items that you need on moving day so store them in a box or container where you can easily find them. Aspects like toiletries, phone chargers, towels, snacks and drinks may not seem hugely important but when you really need them, they are essential, so make sure they are on hand when you need them.

9. Have back-up plans

While it is great to have a plan, there will be times when things move out of your control or other people let you down. It happens. It is vital that you can be flexible at these times and an effective way to be feel more confident about being flexible is to create back-up plans that you can turn to if your initial plans go awry.

As with most things in life, being prepared and planning what you need to do will help to make things easier. It is impossible to completely remove the stress out of moving home but with some care and attention, it is possible to make the process easier. You’ll also find that calling on skilled professionals is a very sensible idea and if you are looking to move, Liberty Gate is an estate agent you can trust. We look forward to helping you take the next step in your life.

So that concludes todays episode on taking the stress out of moving. I hope you’ve found it useful and that it’s given you a few tips to put into action when you next move!

We hope you find this resource useful and that helps to educate as well as dispel any myths or uncertainty around getting on the property ladder or making that next move.

So don’t forget to contact us with any subjects you would like us to cover or questions you would like answering in the coming episodes and until next time I would like to thank you for listening and goodbye for now.

About the author, David Thomas

David Thomas is an Entrepreneur and passionate Estate Agent who loves helping others on their property journey.